Hu Jintao Meets Lao President in Hanoi

Senior CPC Official Meets Lao PRP Delegation

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Chinese Vice-president Hu Jintao Wednesday met in Hanoi with Khamtay Siphandone, President of Laos and President of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

Hu, also Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, is heading a CPC delegation for the 9th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

Conveying best wishes from General-Secretary Jiang Zemin to the Lao president, Hu congratulated on the success of the 7th national congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party last March and on his re-election as the party's president.

Hu said he is convinced that under the firm leadership of Khamtay Siphandone, the Lao people are sure to achieve their goals set in their social and economic plans at the beginning of the new century and to score greater achievements in building up their country.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Hu noted that China is satisfied with the increasingly frequent friendly contacts, the continuous expansion of bilateral mutual beneficial cooperation and the all-round development of relations between the two parties and countries.

Last year, Jiang and Khamtay Siphandone exchanged visits and worked out the framework for bilateral all-round cooperation in the new century, which served as a guideline for the long-term development of bilateral relations in the century, he said.

This has helped push the relationship between the two parties and countries onto a new stage, Hu added.

In the new century, he said, the Chinese Communist Party and government will, as always, join hands with the Lao party and government to make the two nations and the two peoples permanent good neighbors, friends and partners.

Khamtay Siphandone, who will also attend the opening ceremony of the Vietnamese congress Thursday, said he is glad to meet Hu in Hanoi and asked him to convey his best regards to Jiang.

He said the Laos-China relations are very good, and it is very necessary for leaders of the two countries to exchanges visits, keep contacts, and discuss various of shared concern.

Jiang's visit to Laos last years has served to push the all- round friendly ties of cooperation onto a stage of deeper and more fruitful promotion, he said, adding the Lao party and government thanked the Chinese party and government for their assistance and support in the past years.

The Lao leader hoped both sides expand and tighten bilateral cooperation and exchanges in various fields, he said.